Shield
by TheOneWithWanderlust
Summary: Set after X1. A new Class 5 mutant emerges in the form of teenage runaway Cassandra Anderson. When she enters Xavier's school, she will have to face a deadly threat that has been building for years and make a choice that will ultimately affect her life and the others for years to come.


The booth was small, an uncomfortable fit for her and her backpack. She could barely squeeze the door shut, but after an intense five-minute struggle she managed to. The rain beat against the glass box, demanding to be let in so it could release wet havoc on everything. It was dark and the streetlights were on, outside cast a warm glow on the empty, soaked sidewalks. Across the street, the laughter and shouting of people in the bar could barely be heard. She was truly alone.

At least for the time being.

Even though she felt safe, she didn't want to risk anything but not going fast enough.

With trembling hands, she dialed the number. The damp piece of paper in her hand with the smudged numbers on it was the key to her future. It was the only people who could help her. She wasn't sure who they were, but she knew that help was on the other end of the line. She could feel it.

It rang once. She set her backpack down.

Twice. She took a deep breath.

Three. She looked around nervously.

"Hello?"

She froze. "Hello?" He asked again. "Who is this?"

She couldn't speak. She could only shrink back in fear when she saw who was in front of her.

The woman was back. Her red hair looked like flames in the wind as it blew around her face. Her emerald green eyes seemed to be able to pierce through a wall as she fixed her gaze upon the shaking girl in the booth. She stopped walking and paused, taking a second to think. Panic rose in the girl's throat as she clutched the phone like a lifeline. She wanted to scream, to shout, to run, to do something. But fear had taken over.

"Hello?"

The woman laughed suddenly, a cold, calculated, sharp-pitched sound completely devoid of any happiness. Her lips curled into a small, curved smirk. "You thought you could escape, couldn't you?" Her emotionless voice made shivers run down the girl's spine. She felt the tears rolling fast down her cheeks as the woman appraised her. "You can't. You'll never be able to."

"Please." She managed to say. "Please leave me alone. I haven't-I haven't done anything to you."

"Hello?"

"But you will." The woman replied. "And why not prevent a threat before it's become one? You're nothing but a weak, scared little child. I will destroy you."

She lifted her hands up and began to move them together slowly. The telephone booth walls began to shake. The girl watched with horror as a long crack appeared on one of the walls, racing down through the other side. The smile on the woman's face widened, and she pushed her hands closer together. More cracks appeared. The noises frightened her as she knelt down and covered her head, dropping the phone and leaving it hanging by its cord.

"Hello?"

The response was a large crash, followed by a woman's maniacal laughter and a girl's lone scream.

He awoke from his sleep abruptly, his eyes flying open. He took quick, uneven breaths as he looked around. He was back in his room at the school. His book was on his bedside dresser. His reading classes were resting on top of it. His robe was draped over his chair beside him. He concentrated on breathing deeply, and the shakiness eventually subsided.

He sensed Logan coming before he rammed into the door, sending it crashing to the floor. He bent into a lunging position and threw out his hands, withdrawing his impressive steel claws. "Who's in here?"

"No one is, Logan." Xavier raised his hand. "It was a nightmare. Please relax. There is no dangerous threat here." Logan stood up and let his claws race back into his hands, somewhat reluctantly.

"I'm sorry I woke you." The professor apologized. "Had you been sleeping long?"

"No." Logan mumbled, rubbing his bloodshot eyes. "I've been up all night by Bobby's room. He's been sneaking around at night and I have a hunch to where he's going." His expression hardened. "Would you know, by any chance?"

"I assure you, he's been doing nothing of what you're thinking of. He's been going out to try to get extra obstacle practice. I gave him my permission." Xavier replied.

Logan nodded, his expression softening. He tried hard to hide it, but the relief that washed over him was one of the best things he'd felt in months.

Xavier threw his blankets off and rotated himself onto the edge of the bed. "Would you mind helping me into my chair?"

"You should really go back to bed." Logan said as he crossed the room and held Xavier's arms, placing him down on the chair. "It's three in the morning."

"I'm afraid I have matters to attend to that are too important to ignore." Xavier wheeled himself over to his desk, where his phone was. He picked it up and dialed quickly. His mind was racing and his hands were still slightly shaking from the aftermath of the dream, but he had to pull himself together. Time was of the upmost importance.

"Hello?" Hank's voice mumbled.

"Hank. I need you to come to the lab now." Hank let out a barely audible grunt. "Thank you." Xavier hung up the phone.

"I'm going to go to bed." Logan started for the door.

"Logan," Xavier called. "I need you for this as well."

"What could be so important that we can't wait three or four more hours?" Logan did nothing to hide his annoyance.

"We're dealing with a potential crisis right now." Xavier fixed his gaze on him. Logan saw something he'd never seen the professor show: fear. His eyes were filled with deep concern. Something was troubling him to no end.

"You saw something in the dream." Logan started. "That doesn't mean it's going to come true."

"It wasn't just a dream." Xavier's gaze seemed far, far away as he looked out the window, watching the rain pour down from the sky. "It was a revelation. It was something that I've feared would come true for a very long time, since I-" He felt his throat tightening, so he stopped. This was no time for tears and panic. It was a time for action.

"What did you find out?"

He took another deep breath, garnering all the strength and courage he could muster and imagining the needed amount staying inside him, guiding him through the next few weeks. He was going to need it.

"We've found another Class 5 mutant."


End file.
